Technology may improve your sleep (but quiet is natural and better)

A good night’s sleep is important for health and normal daily function.

Humans can’t close our ears, and sound as quiet as 32 to 35 decibels–there is some individual variation in how deeply one sleeps–can disturb sleep, measured by microarousals (brief mini arousals from sleep) on electroencephalography.

But we think the best thing for a good night’s sleep is a comfortable bed and pillow, and quiet.

Dr. Daniel Fink is a leading noise activist based in the Los Angeles area. He serves on the board of the American Tinnitus Association, is the interim chair of Quiet Communities’s Health Advisory Council, and is the founding chair of The Quiet Coalition, an organization of science, health, and legal professionals concerned about the impacts of noise on health, environment, learning, productivity, and quality of life in America.